Loa no longer looked remotely human. If Beard had to describe him, only the Dragons of legend came to mind!
Golden slit pupils gazed down at him with quiet majesty. An aura of terrifying authority pressed against him like a physical weight, making him tremble uncontrollably. Even breathing felt difficult.
Blue scales covered Loa's body, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight. A pair of broad bat wings spread behind him, and the cold wind they stirred swiftly froze everything around him.
Beard used Haki to resist the biting wind, his gaze darkening. "A Devil Fruit User? A Mythical Zoan?"
He had suspected all along that Loa was a Devil Fruit User. But Loa wielded the Ice-Freeze Ability!
That left Beard uncertain.
He would stake his head on the fact that Marine Admiral Aokiji was still alive and well.
Not long ago, one of his informants had told him Aokiji had gone to the East Blue.
A Marine Admiral dying in the weakest sea? What kind of joke was that?
Since Aokiji was still alive, and two identical Devil Fruits could not exist at the same time, Loa could not have eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit. The answer was obvious: Loa was a Mythical Zoan!
His ice powers came with that form.
Hearing Beard's words, Loa chuckled. "Correct. But there's no prize!"
His voice had turned low and raspy, almost synthetic—a result of the changes to his body after transforming.
With that, Loa swooped down like a diving bird. His razor-sharp Dragon Claws raked toward Beard's chest, while Dragon's Might erupted at close range and pinned him in place.
"So fast!"
Terror seized Beard. That inexplicable pressure slowed his movements, leaving him no time to dodge.
He instinctively tried to block with his dagger, only to realize he had thrown it far away.